To Love the Sky
by kknarwhals
Summary: She knows how it feels to be on top of the world. To float amongst the clouds and just leave all her troubles below her. She remembers how the air tasted up there, high in the sky. Now Max can't taste that freedom. Not ever again. cue the dramatic music! Some FAX!
1. Chapter 1

**WOOHOO! You clicked on our story :) Thanks for giving this a try. Hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly we don't earn like a **_**gazillion**_ **dollars a day for our writing so I think it's clear we aren't James Patterson. That being said we don't own Maximum Ride or the characters...**

I awoke to the smell of antiseptic.

_Huh? Our house is usually quite lacking in the cleaning department._

I stiffen. Immediately I bolted upright only to stupidly ram my head into a wall. I was back in my childhood home: a cage. Cursing and rubbing my bruised noggin I peered out through the bars on the door to my dog crate. White. Everything from the ceiling to the desks and down to the the lab coats the people outside were wearing was white. I felt myself involuntarily shiver. Last night suddenly came rushing back to me.

_The whole flock was sprawled in the living room watching TV. Nudge and Gazzy were lying on the floor, Iggy in the recliner, and Angel was curled up in Max's lap on the couch. Fang sat beside Max. Nothing good was on so Max decided it was time to eat. _

"_Hey Ig, do you need any help for dinner?" Max asked._

_Iggy's eyes widened. "Max," he warned, "stay away from the stove. And the knives and the oven and the toaster. Heck, stay away from the fridge!" he yelled behind his shoulder as he dashed to the kitchen._

_Max glared at his retreating form and huffed. She heard snickering and gave each of the flock members the death stare. _

_Iggy's head popped out from the open fridge door, "Uh, we have a problem." _

"_What?" Max snapped._

"_No food," he mumbled and fidgeted away from her intense gaze._

"_Oh," Max stated, her voice softening slightly, "umm... okay. Fang, Nudge you guys come with me to the market. Iggy can you stay home with Angel and Gazzy?"_

_Iggy nodded, scooting back into the living room. _

"_Come on guys, let's head out," Max announced and bounced off the couch. "We'll be back in about half an hour."_ _Nudge and Fang hauled themselves up and followed her to the front door. _

"_See you," the kids staying home called out. _

_Max, Fang, and Nudge tossed back a, "Bye!" And they shut the door before unfurling their wings and shooting into the evening sky. _

_The air was thick with the heat of the summer but it still refreshed Max just like every time she took flight. Nudge was soaring above her and Fang was by her side, his dark wings in perfect sync with hers. She turned her head to him and met his eyes._

"_So, do you think Iggy and Gazzy have blown up the house yet?" she asked._

_Fang smirked. "Give them five more minutes and it will probably be in ashes."_

_Max smiled fondly, thinking about the boys and wondering what trouble they were making with Angel. Two explosives experts and one mind-reading and manipulative seven year old would be capable of wiping out every school across North America. If they felt like doing the world a good deed, that is. _

_Suddenly, Max heard a faint _zip! _sound. And then Fang jerked back and dropped like a stone._

**AN: So thanks for reading our second fanfic story. Reviews would be greatly appreciated! We'll try to update frequently but school's coming up -_- -kel and moo**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hullo! Here's the next chapter. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Maximum Ride and blah blah blah...**

_Nudge swiveled around and let out a shriek. Max watched with wide eyes as Fang hurtled towards the ground. She froze for barely a moment before she snapped into action, tucking in her wings and diving down to him. A thick cable was wrapped around his throat and it was being used to tug him to the tiny figure standing below in a clearing. Fang awkwardly made an effort to spread his wings to reduce speed but it only made a fraction of a difference before he crashed into the earth with an explosion of dust._

"_Fang!" Max screamed and switched on her full speed before landing in a defensive crouch. _

_Racing towards his crumpled form she heard a light thud and footsteps and knew Nudge was not far behind. Fang lay in a small crater with clumps of dirt sitting on his cable was still snaked tightly around his throat. Max knelt down beside him and gripped his hand. His eyes fluttered open and he made a small choking sound. Max followed the rope of metal with her own eyes and saw none other than Ari holding a gun that was attached to the cable. _

"_You," she spat out, burning rage making her see red. _

_She vaguely heard Nudge cry, "OMG! Fang!" and she stood up and stepped out of the crater._

_Ari smiled innocently. Well, as innocently as a giant wolf-like man with huge fangs and cold eyes could look. "Hello there Max. Long time no see."_

"_Let him go," Max growled. _

"_Now, now. I'm just having a little fun. No need to get mad."_

"_Let him go," she repeated._

"_Or what? I'm gonna get spanked by my big old sister?" Ari taunted, retracting the cable an inch further and causing Fang to wheeze._

"_I'll kick your pathetic butt into next week!" Max screeched then promptly tackled the Eraser._

_She knocked the cable-gun thingy out of his hairy hands and got in a good elbow to the gut. Ari gasped but quickly punched Max in the face that sent her stumbling back a few steps, stars bursting at the sides of her vision. Regaining her balance she whipped out her wings and sprung up a couple of feet into the air before dropping down on Ari's broad shoulders with both feet extended and what she hoped was the force of a running train. He buckled and landed face first into the dirt with Max on top of him. Squirming around he threw a wild punch that she caught easily. Twisting his meaty wrist she heard a satisfying snap and was about to wreak more damage but a roar ripped out of Ari and he managed to toss her off of him. He kicked her, who was sprawled on the floor, savagely and Max felt a rib crack. Her breath whooshing out of her lungs she scrambled to her feet before he could try another kick. Fuming, she began to unleash a powerful roundhouse kick when someone smacked her down and she felt two pairs of hairy hands grip her arms firmly. Looking at the owners she noticed that a mass of about eighty Erasers surrounding them. _

_She cursed. How could she not have seen them? They weren't exactly the most silent creatures. With that thought she scanned the area and spotted Fang fighting with all he got. He was extremely battered and one of his wings was bent slightly. Nudge wasn't doing any better. That was the last thing she saw before a vine of searing electricity rattled her bones and darkness consumed her._

**AN: I just loved reading the action scenes in Max Ride so I really enjoyed writing one! Is enjoying violence creepy..? Oh well :P How do ya guys like it so far? Does R&R mean read and review? Cause I have no idea. If it does then please R&R ^.^ ~Moo (Kel is on vacation)**


	3. Chapter 3

******Yolo! Did you know that that actually stands for something? I thought I was really smart when I made that up cause you know...Yo and Hello mashed together is Yolo... But apparently it already has a meaning :( *says moo while kel sighs at her* Anyways here's the next chapter!**

Disclaimer: Maximum Ride and its characters belong to James Patterson because he was the one to get the ingenious idea to glue wings to children.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..." I muttered.

Great. I just had to be that kid whose best friend gets tackled by barbaric cables.

I shifted in my cramped cage and realized that what should have been a painful throbbing in my ribs was only a dull ache. I lifted the hem of my t-shirt slightly. There was a pale blue bruise smudged across my side.

What the..? Crud, I must've been here for at least two days. Even us mutants can't heal that fast.

"Doctor, it's awake!"

There was some rustling and then a set of sharp green eyes gazed at me through the bars.

"Amazing..." The voice and eyes belonged to a pleasant looking woman. She had a round face and chocolate hair swept back into a ponytail. The lady smiled a dazzling smile. If she wasn't at the heart of the most soulless researching lab in the whole world she would have seemed like one of those moms that brought Kool-aid to her kid's soccer game.

It unnerved me truthfully. She looked so open and friendly. So not knowing how to react I pasted on my default expression: a scowl.

The lady continued to oggle at me. "It should not already be recovered."

That really plucked a string, "It has a name you know."

"Of course," she replied sweetly, aiming another smile at me. "I'm sorry about the cage, Max, but you have a history of aggressiveness you see."

"I do see. That you're another freaking door knob." I sneered back and refused to be brought down by such a warm, loving, caring, motherly smile.

Dang it.

She chose to ignore that, instead replying calmly, "We're going to run a few tests on you and it would be easier on both you and me if you would cooperate."

I gaped at her. "Are you kidding me?"

Cooperate my butt.

"Please Maximum, be reasonable."

I was about to spit something nasty when I was cut short by a familiar voice.

"Hi sweetie."

Sad brown eyes replaced the woman's. Jeb.

My voice dangerously low, I ground out, "Don't ever call me that again. Ever."

His wire-framed eyes seemed to deepen in regret. Memories danced across my mind, a word trailing behind each one.

Jeb holding me down as someone injected me with liquid fire. _Whitecoat._

Jeb donning a lab coat, looking neat and unharmed in front of me. When I had thought he was dead._ Traitor._

Jeb scooping me up into his arms. Hugging me tight._ Daddy._

Even after everything that's happened, I still feel tears pricking the backs of my eyes.

"I'm sorry Max," he murmured softly.

"Sorry doesn't change anything! We thought you were dead, Jeb!" I shrieked. Taking a shuddering breath I added, "Now I wish you were."

Jeb glanced away from me. "I know it doesn't but I am. I'm doing this for you, for all of you."

"If you really love me then let me go." I whispered.

Shifting back to my pleading gaze he replied just as weakly, "I can't." He sighed lightly. "Do as they say Max." And with that he just walked away. Again.

The lady's face appeared once more at the bars. She surveyed my reaction. I just hoped I wasn't showing anything. She seemed to calculate something then, satisfied, she disappeared and all I heard was, "Take her to room A59."

Fang was attempting to burn a hole through the ground. His brain was a storm. Being tugged out of the sky, the Eraser attack, and Max being towed away from him. He pulled at his hair, growling.

He'd just let her go.

Looking up from the couch he met four pairs of anxious faces. Abruptly he stood up and began to pace.

"Fang?" A voice squeaked after this continued for a full five minutes.

He froze and reluctantly met Nudge's gaze. Immediately he felt another pulse of fury course through him. Her face was still dirty and she had a split lip, a swelling eye, and multiple scratches dotting her skin. Fang decided to try for a weak smile but due to his bruised face and the bloody claw mark above his eyebrow he most likely got out a grimace at best. He started to pace again.

"What should we do, Fang?" Angel whispered from her corner of the couch.

"We need to get Max back," he replied calmly.

Iggy shifted on his perch atop of the recliner's armrest. "How?"

Fang stopped moving and closed his eyes briefly. He had never understood exactly how Max had been able to come up with a plan on the spot. "First, we have to go to the School."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4... yay! So sorry for not updating! We have no excuses*heads hang in shame***

**Disclaimer: We disclaim Maximum Ride. We claim that these things are annoying.**

_Max was oddly at peace. She was sinking deeper and deeper towards the bottom of the ocean. But it seemed like time had slowed down to a trickle, everything was thick and heavy. The waves were lulling her to sleep with their calm rocking and pretty blue shade. Bubbles were playfully escaping her lips and shimmying up towards the light. 'How cute,' Max thought with a soft smile. 'Wait,' Max froze, 'did I just use the word cute?' But that moment of alarm quickly resided. Her vision was growing dimmer, the colour of the sea becoming deeper. It was almost completely dark now. But Max didn't feel lonely. The black was warm. It was pulling her into a hug._

I woke panting, jerking upright only to be slammed back down. My vision doubled for a second. Triple-layered metal cuffs strapped my hands and feet securely to the table I was lying on.

My heartbeat was racing. It was just another dream.

I'd broken into a cold sweat while I was asleep and a shiver skittered up my spine. My head's pounding now. The whitecoats have been doing this for a while now. Honestly, I'm not even sure how long it's been since I woke up in this prison, but I'm guessing four days. In between all of the experiments and poking around, they inject me with some orange tinted liquid right into the left side of my neck. That's what causes the nightmares.

I groan. Places I didn't even know could hurt were on fire. Last night's (or morning's or afternoon's, I dunno) experiment was brutal. They had me hanging from 50 ft. I don't even know why they had a room that big. Anyways, they bound back my wings; and left me there. I dropped at ten minutes. You won't believe how hard it is to try and land on your feet without wings. I think I broke my leg, but I can't really tell.

Knowing that the whitecoats won't come in to take me back to my cage for at least another 30 minutes, I just stare at the white light above me. It takes a long time for the serum to wear off. Apparently, the thing that they inject me with also gives me extreme bursts of strength. They learned that the hard way.

I've been here for four days. Four days. Might as well have been four years. I wonder where the Flock is. I hope they're safe. I hope they're not looking for me. It's too dangerous.

"Yeah," I whisper, trying to convince myself, "I hope they're not."

"I'm hungry," Gazzy grumbled.

The whole gang was struggling through the sky. The whole gang except for one. Max.

"We have a bit of cash, Fang," Nudge hinted hopefully.

Fang, who was flying slightly ahead, turned around now and sighed. "I guess we should make a stop somewhere."

The sun had almost completely set and in the dimming light they spotted a little town below them.

"Let's go down there!" the Gasman and Angel pointed in unison.

"Yeah," Iggy said with a yawn.

Plunging down, they landed in the parking lot of a warmly lit diner. _Auntie Mary's_, the worn down sign read. It was one of those old-fashioned 24 hour restaurants.

"C'mon!" Nudge squealed.

They all tumbled through the doorway and were greeted by a smiling waitress.

"Good evening," she said, "right this way."

She led them to a booth near the back of the diner.

"I'll be right back to take your orders."

"Thanks," Fang muttered, shrugging his backpack off.

Iggy picked up a salt shaker and began to shake some salt into his palm. "So, what's the plan now?"

It's been four days since Max was taken. The Flock had been flying almost nonstop to Death Valley, to the School.

"I say we barge right in and blow 'em all up!" Gazzy said enthusiastically.

Nudge rolled her eyes at him. "We need an actual strategy this time."

"Yeah," Angel whispered, "we can't let them hurt Max."

They all fell silent at that.

"Okay," Fang exhaled, "here's what we'll do…"

"Get up."

I heard a voice stream to my ears through my half-conscious state. I was starting to become aware of a killer headache pounding at my skull.

"Now," the gruff voice commanded.

I tried to pry my eyes open but it seemed like they were stuck together with crazy glue. That's when a foot kicked me in the stomach. It knocked the breath right out of me.

I grimaced, "You know, patience is a virtue."

Trying my best, I managed to rip my eyelids open, but um, not as gruesomely as that sounded. The sudden light made me blind for a second. Rubbing away the crust around my eyes, I hauled myself to my feet. I was in completely sterile white room. No surprise there. It contained absolutely nothing except for me and the handful of scientists gathered in front of me. Someone cleared their throat. I slowly craned my neck to look up and up until I finally saw the man towering above me. He was over seven feet tall! Whoa. The man looked like he was in his mid-fifties and had a scraggle of graying hair to prove it.

"Hmmm…Specimen M1A5X," he grunted, "human-avian hybrid."

I gave him one of my famous "I'm-so-angry-you-better-be-scared-little-man-cuz-imma-gonna-kick-your-butt" glares. He looked like he was going to pee his pants! Chump.

"Hmmm… Old man that needs one heck of a life," I spat. "And a nose job. I go by Max."

His bulbous nose turned a deep shade of red. "Very well, Max," he sneered. "My name is Professor Ivanhosenog. I am the head scientist for this next experiment. "

What kind of name is that?! Next experiment? Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on just a sec.

"Okie dokie! Look here, Mr. I've a hose in my nose and whatever, I've really got a tight schedule. I've got to whip all of your scrawny butts and then escape all by three o'clock so could we move this along? And what do you mean by 'next experiment'?" I added in a sweet smile at the end. Just a little Maximum Ride charm for ya.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! That button's calling for you! Press it. We know you wanna. Please? Lol hoped you enjoyed the chapter!**


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